Innovative emissions-reducing stop-start technology on majority of new buses

Stagecoach Group announced new vehicle orders worth £70million.
A new fleet of around 340 vehicles, most equipped with free wifi,
will be introduced in the coming 2017-18 financial year as the company
continues to reinvest profits in improving services for customers in
communities across the UK.
The latest announcement takes Stagecoach Group's total orders of new
buses and coaches to more than £1billion in the past 11 years,
delivering around 7,000 new vehicles for passengers.
The brand new buses and coaches will be introduced in Stagecoach's
regional networks in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on the
company’s megabus.com network in the UK.
Almost half of the new vehicles meet the Government’s Low Carbon
Emission Bus specification, while around two thirds feature innovative
stop-start technology to help improve fuel consumption and reduce
emissions.

Most of the new vehicles are set to be built in the UK, helping to
support hundreds of British manufacturing jobs and smaller businesses in
the supply chain who produce key components from drivers' seats and
toilets to wheelchair lifts and destination displays*. All of the new
vehicles meet Euro 6 emissions standards.
Each of the new vehicles will also be fitted with CCTV, and USB
charging points, while most will also have wi-fi installed, giving
customers free internet access during their journeys.
The latest orders follow an annual competitive tendering process and
the first of the new vehicles are being delivered from Spring 2017.

Highlights of the latest investment are around 180 low-floor
double-decker vehicles to go into service across the UK, as well as
around 60 single deck vehicles and 40 midibuses. Included in the latest
order are the first purpose-build open top vehicles the company has ever
ordered, plus new vehicles for the Cambridge Guided Busway and a fleet
of 18 micro hybrid vehicles to go into operation in Sheffield, which
have been partly funded by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV).
There are also 34 coaches for the Group’s UK Bus, Scottish Citylink and megabus.com operations.
Stagecoach has already met its requirements under the UK Disability
Discrimination Act deadline for double deck and single deck vehicles.
Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said: “Our focus is
on delivering practical improvements to make travel even better for our
customers. We are continuing to re-invest money from fares in
state-of-the-art, cleaner, greener vehicles, digital technology and
smart ticketing to deliver an even higher standard of service. These
latest vehicle orders are an important part of our strategy to encourage
even more people to take the bus.
“Local bus services are the backbone of the country’s transport
networks. However, the increasing problem of traffic congestion in our
towns and cities is holding buses back and it is high time our
politicians stepped up and took action to support bus passengers and
free up road space to help bus networks flourish.”
Details of the new orders are as follows:

122 ADL MMC E400 double-deckers

59 Scania ADL MMC E400 double-deckers

62 ADL MMC E200 single-deckers

40 ADL MMC E200 midibuses

18 Wrightbus StreetLite 11.5m Micro Hybrid single-deckers

7 Wrightbus Volvo open top double decker

2 Wrightbus Eclipse-Volvo single-deckers

9 Plaxton Elite i 15metre coaches

8 Plaxton Elite 6x2 15metre coaches

14 Plaxton Elite 4x2 coaches

3 Caetano Levante Volvo B11R 6x2 coaches

Stagecoach has made a series of other investments to help transform bus travel for customers, including:

the new ‘Stagecoach Bus’ smartphone app which provides customers
with journey planning, next-stop information and live bus tracking, and
enables people to buy and download bus tickets straight to their mobile
phone.

Smart ticketing at all Stagecoach regional companies with more than
two million StagecoachSmart cards in circulation and more than
330million smart transactions every year.

Multi-operator smart ticketing in all of England’s city regions,
benefitting around 15million people, and in several key areas of
Scotland, delivered in partnership with other UK bus operators.

Contactless payments launched on Stagecoach services in
Oxfordshire, Manchester and the north east of England, with the
technology to be available at all Stagecoach bus companies by 2018.

A commitment to work with the UK’s major bus operators on an
ambitious scheme that could see contactless travel introduced on every
one of the UK’s 32,000-plus buses outside London by 2022.

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